Dazzling Cafe, a honey toast specialty cafe/restaurant in Taipei, has been wildly popular since its opening in March 2010. Let me just define the phrase “wildly popular” for the purpose of this post – during Dazzling’s prime time, it’s literally impossible to get a reservation because the phone line is always occupied by obsessed callers, and if you try your luck as a walk-in guest – well, be prepared for a 3-hour wait before you get seated. I wouldn’t ever go through with the hassle of getting a seat here, and was lucky (or not?) that a friend got a table through connections. Let’s see what the fuss is about.

We ordered two honey toasts to share: Chocolate Fondue Honey Toast (380 NTD) and Strawberry Lover Honey Toast (250 NTD). These were such disappointments compared to the amazing honey toast I’ve had at Organ, which was nothing short of a fluffy loaf of heaven on the plate. The versions at Dazzling Cafe were dry, bland, and sad.

We also tried a strawberry crepe (250 NTD), which was actually not so bad but only in comparison to the honey toasts.

Dazzling Cafe is definitely more about the aura conjured up by the group of high society ladies (most notably 孫芸芸) behind Dazzling’s business, than about its mediocre desserts. I’m crossing this off my list, happily.